About

$7,975

pledged of $7,500 goal

112

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“What shall we say about those spectators, then, who can see a plurality of beautiful things, but not beauty itself, and who are incapable of following if someone else tries to lead them to it, and who can see many moral actions, but not morality itself, and so on? That they only ever entertain beliefs, and do not know any of the things they believe?” - Plato

The Republic: Immersive theater meets gaming in this innovative, interactive performance experience. Step into a fully designed world inhabited by intriguing characters and take on an important role in our conflicted society. Your decisions dictate how the rich story ends.

You will be watched. You will be deceived. You will be touched - emotionally and physically.

The Republic will debut in downtown Orlando in May 2015, beginning a limited run of 11 weeks. Created by top theme park attraction designers as well as experienced writers, artists, musicians, engineers, actors, and more, this high energy, up-close performance is intended for mature audiences only (18+).

It will truly be a performance unlike any other.

As contributions come in to this Kickstarter, production continues rapidly on The Republic every single day. We are posting regular updates to our Production Blog, showing exactly where your funds are going, now and in the future. Below are the latest exciting happenings.

We officially announced the involvement of two incredibly creative people on The Republic team: Eric Garcia and David O’Connell. You might know Eric and David from the hit Syfy TV show “Face Off,” on which they showed off their incredible skills as makeup effects artists.

Hear from them, along with The Republic creator Sarah Elger, in the video below, which also offers a first glimpse at one of the sculpts they’ve been working on for us.

Your Kickstarter contributions help fund materials needed for Eric and David to fully realize their visions for our performers to be enhanced by their effects during each night’s experience. You will literally come face-to-face with their creations.

We reached a big milestone for our Kickstarter crowd funding campaign: one-third funded and one-third of the time gone! Our 30-day campaign is 10 days in and we’re exactly on track to reach our goal having received 33% funding with the latest contribution.

But the pace of contributions has slowed in recent days, so we sat down to come up with some new incentives to tempt you all to support the creation of this incredible experience. Building off the most popular reward thus far, the $70 ticket + one-on-one experience combo, we’ve come up with even better rewards for you:

– YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED: After the experience, you can meet and interact with members of The Republic team, discussing the adventure and learning answers to your questions. Includes admission for 1 player to The Republic + meet-and-greet opportunity post-show.

– MORE INTENSE: Take on the most “extreme” role in The Republic. Be the first to enter, instantly rewarded with the most intense and interactive opportunities throughout the experience. You will be challenged. Includes one ticket.

We are fortunate to have Hollywood composer Greg Nicolett on board to create the musical score that will play throughout The Republic experience.

Greg’s work has been heard in “The Vampire Diaries,” “Smallville,” “Eureka,” and even that crazy awesome Shia LaBeouf YouTube video. Yes, that one.

Music is an incredibly important part of this production, setting the tone of each scene. And you have already heard a small sampling of Greg’s work for The Republic in our Kickstarter video.

While Greg is a completely capable musician, able to compose and record our score on his own, we’d all prefer if we could hire some talented musicians to work with him. And that’s one of the many areas where our Kickstarter campaign comes in handy. With your contributions, we can pull together a small orchestra to record Greg’s music, making The Republic an even richer experience.

And one of the rewards we’re offering on Kickstarter is a copy of Greg’s score in collectible packaging.

We have been rehearsing with our talented performers for several weeks, utilizing a wonderful donation-based location called "The Space" near downtown Orlando.

But we recently received the wonderful news that thanks in part to your Kickstarter contributions, we are able to move into our massive warehouse space 3 weeks ahead of schedule! We recently surprised our performers with this news in a fun way:

Next, we will begin building our elaborately designed maze of themed rooms that will comprise the sets for The Republic experience. This will be a major step that your Kickstarter funds will go towards: lumber. It's definitely not cheap to build 18,000 square feet of walls, so every contribution you make is a huge help.

The 18,000 square-foot downtown Orlando warehouse The Republic calls home presented us with an exciting opportunity. Its previous occupants had filled it with a huge assortment of furniture, electronics, and other home goods – all of which they were selling off before moving out. Your Kickstarter funds help us purchase a large number of props and set pieces for the experience here.

"Nothing beautiful without struggle.” - Plato

The Republic is a passion project for all who are involved. We aim to take theatrical experiences to new places never explored before.

Our goal is to offer the best possible interactive performance with as limited of a budget as we can use. But we are quite literally creating a new society, three separate but connected worlds, presented in fully immersive intertwining environments. Creating such a unique experience will indeed require funds - which we are depending on you for.

Not only do we promise an unbelievable experience for all who step into The Republic, but we've also created a set of exciting and exclusive rewards available only through this Kickstarter project:

Back this project now to receive the most fun and excitement out of The Republic in the months ahead.

“Come then, and let us pass a leisure hour in storytelling, and our story shall be the education of our heroes.” - Plato

Inspired by Greek mythology, Fritz Lang's "Metropolis," and Plato's literary work, the story of The Republic experience places players (you) inside a society ripe for revolution. Citizens of the Republic are born into status, Gold, Silver, or Bronze. Their social standing dictates their livelihood. Naturally, while the Golds sit high and mighty atop this ideal society for them, the Silvers and especially Bronzes desire much more out of life.

But conflict is never that simple. This simplistic society is ruled by the Office, an all-powerful dictatorship that lives to rule. For its CEO, it seems ruling from afar is not enough, as her obsession with Greek mythology has inspired her to reach into the Republic to pluck its finest citizens for gruesome transformation into mythical creatures.

A third faction exists in this crumbling civilization as those who aren't privileged enough to rule, elite enough to be Gold, obedient enough to be Silver, or resilient enough to be Bronze are cast away into the Labyrinth for the rest of time.

And therein lies the revolution, one which you will be part of.

Will the Labyrinth rise up? Will the Office fall? And what will become of the Republic? Your actions determine how it all ends.

The Republic will be brought to life via the talents of artists, writers, musicians, designers, engineers, and performers each utilizing their skill sets to offer a completely unique live experience featuring:

Elaborate, engaging story delivered by improvisational performers who will get up close and hands on

Original musical score and soundtrack to immerse you in the world

Multiple endings, dictated by your actions, offering a different experience with every visit

“There is in every one of us, even those who seem to be most moderate, a type of desire that is terrible, wild, and lawless.” - Plato

Breaking the traditional stage-audience boundary, immersive theater surrounds viewers in a performance. Audience members move under their own will around spaces, engaging directly with performers, sets, and props throughout.

Sleep No More in New York helped pioneer and popularize the new genre, followed up by other successful immersive theater performances such as Then She Fell and Delusion.

The Republic is not a traditional stage show. It's not a haunted house. It's not an escape room. It's not a theme park ride. It's also not today's immersive theater standard.

It is something entirely new.

Integrating elements of everything listed above along with a video gaming approach, The Republic aims to redefine immersive theater and performance experiences.

“The heaviest penalty for declining to rule is to be ruled by someone inferior to yourself.” - Plato

The Republic is being created by a group of likeminded professionals who share the common goal of pushing the world of entertainment forward. Each member of our team is utilizing his or her skills to their fullest for every aspect of the project.

While we each of our own individual roles, everyone is contributing to every step of the production process, encouraging a collaborative environment for the best possible performance.

Sarah A.S. Elger - Dungeon Master (Creator, Director)

Nikhil Menezes - Master Scribe (Writer)

Phillip Burgos - Schemer (Engineer)

Ricky Brigante - Rogue (Sound Designer, Social Media / PR)

Nathanael White - Artisan (Designer)

Hera Kan - Puzzle Craftsman (Engineer)

Allie Fishman - Show Commander (Producer)

Greg Nicolett - Bard (Composer)

Eric Garcia and David O'Connell from the Syfy TV show "Face Off" - Character Design and Makeup

For all on the team, The Republic is a side project that has taken over our lives. While we all have day jobs, in every extra hour we find we are working on this project, ensuring our ambitious timeline is met.

The Republic will debut with the Orlando Fringe Festival on May 14, 2015, continuing with at least 5 performances per week for 11 weeks. We will move into our warehouse space soon, allowing our massive set build to begin - currently being intricately prepared via computer-aided design.

We have already been working with our performers for several weeks in a local rehearsal space, running through scenes and engaging them in interactive exercises to ensure they are prepared for you, our players.

There are no days off for The Republic team. Every day is spent thinking about this project. The funds you contribute here on Kickstarter will allow us to create our vision to its fullest.

Risks and challenges

If anything, we are over prepared for the production of The Republic. Our team is ready to face any obstacles that arise during the next few months leading up to our opening night.

Once fully backed, we will use Kickstarter funds to acquire props, costume and makeup materials, sound and lighting equipment, building materials, and much more. From there, we will continue to work daily to ensure all our goals are met, bringing the best possible experience to you - along with all the great rewards promised above.

Our team is largely comprised of professionals in the attraction industry who work daily at the world's top theme park design companies designing and building state-of-the-art rides and shows. Deadlines must always be met with quality workmanship there and the same principles apply for The Republic.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $35 or more
About $35

PHOTO FEATURE - FUNDRAISING PARTY EXCLUSIVE

Have your photo featured somewhere in The Republic experience for the full 11-week run of the performance. Photo will be taken at our Kickstarter Fundraising Party on 3/28. Once you select this reward, come find a staff member or performer at The Republic party to have your picture taken.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $45 or more
About $45

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

After the experience, you can meet and interact with members of The Republic team, discussing the adventure and learning answers to your questions. Includes admission for 1 player to The Republic + meet-and-greet opportunity post-show.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $50 or more
About $50

ONE-ON-ONE WITH CASSANDRA - KICKSTARTER PARTY EXCLUSIVE

Enjoy a special one-on-one experience with our highly entertaining and unique performer Cassandra who is ready to give you insight into our world - and hers. Once you select this reward, come find a staff member or performer at The Republic Fundraising Party to arrange the encounter.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $60 or more
About $60

MORE INTENSE

Take on the most "extreme" role in The Republic. Be the first to enter, instantly rewarded with the most intense and interactive opportunities throughout the experience. You will be challenged. Includes one ticket.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $70 or more
About $70

ONE-ON-ONE

Among the most coveted of our rewards is this ticket package that exclusively includes a limited number of special experiences available only to Kickstarter backers. Includes admission for 1 player to The Republic + a specially designed personal experience of our choice during the performance.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $75 or more
About $75

KIDNAP A FRIEND - FUNDRAISING PARTY EXCLUSIVE

Get a friend (or yourself) kidnapped by our performers during our Kickstarter Fundraising Party on 3/28. Once you select this reward, come find a staff member or performer at The Republic party to arrange the kidnapping. What happens next is a surprise...

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $100 or more
About $100

DESIGNER'S DREAM

Curious how this entirely unique performance experience is coming together? Own a copy of our Production Book to get a behind-the-scenes look at how it all happened. Also includes 1 ticket to experience The Republic.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $100 or more
About $100

REPUBLIC REGISTRY

Instantly be named an Associate Producer of The Republic by simply contributing funds. Perfect for those who don't need anything tangible but still want to help make this experience happen. Also includes 1 ticket to experience The Republic.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $125 or more
About $125

TWO-ON-ONE

By popular demand, we are now offering a limited number of ticket packages that exclusively include admission for 2 players to The Republic + a specially designed personal experience of our choice for BOTH of you during the performance.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $1,000 or more
About $1,000

REPUBLIC VOYEUR

Each night, The Republic creator and Dungeon Master Sarah Elger will be overlooking the experience in her command center. With this reward, join Sarah for an evening of surveillance over the entirety of the experience, discovering how the show is run. Also includes 1 ticket to experience The Republic.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $10,000
About $10,000

REPUBLIC RETREAT

The Republic is inspired by Greek mythology. With this reward one (1) person will be flown to Greece for a customized adventure prepared by our design team. And we'll be joining you there to make the trip simply unforgettable.

Purchase the reward twice to book multiple reservations for this once-in-a-lifetime trip.